Rossi: "My new engine feels tired"

REIGNING MOTOGP World Champion Valentino Rossi described his new long-life engine as 'tired', after it was used for the first time at Brno.

The Italian was speaking after his victory at the Czech GP, the first of the final seven races for which each rider is allocated just five engines.

“It is not so aggressive – it feels a little bit more tired. It’s a pity, for sure. For the rider, it’s worse. Now the target for the engineers is to arrive at the same performance with the longer-life engines. But although there is less enjoyment, there is not a big difference.”

Rossi's team-mate, however, was not so concerned. Speaking about the new motor, which is now on-par with the Italian's, Lorenzo said:

“It doesn’t feel like a step down. From this race I am on the same bike as Valentino, and it feels quite well. The acceleration is very smooth.”